Car-axle



rificn.

kAralar LYSTON D. HOVVE AND GEORGE M. GREEN, OF STREATOR, ILLINOIS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 305,594, dated SeptemberV 23A, 1884.

(No model.)

To aZZ whom; it may concern.'

Vdo hereby declare that the following is a full,

clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specication, and in whichM Figure l is a view of the coupling for our improved car-axle, showing the connectingsleeves in section. Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the connecting-sleeves, and Fig.'3 is a view of the entire axle and Wheels.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the iigures.

Our invention has relation to car-axles in which the wheels may revolve in opposite directions; and it consists in the improved construction and combination of parts of the same, as hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, the letter A indicates the axle, to which one wheel is secured, and which extends the entire width of the gage of the track; and the said axle is screw-threaded at its middle, as shown at B, and the one wheel, C, is secured to one end of the axle, while the other half, D, of the axle from the` screw-threaded portion is reduced.

E is a sleeve of the same outside diameter i as thelarger half of the axle, and fitting and turning upon the reduced half of the axle, and the inner end of the said sleeve is screwthreaded, asshown at F, while the other wheel, G, is secured to the outer end of the sleeve, the said sleeve being prevented from slipping off from the reduced portion ot' the axle by means of a key, H, or other similar fastening means.

A. short sleeve, I, having an inner screwthread and an externally-screw-threaded enlarged portion, J, fits upon the threaded portion of the axle, and has an annular groove in its bore near the inner end for the reception of a lubricant, as shownat K.

A short sleeve, L, having an internal screwthread, fits upon the inner threaded end of the hollow axle E, and is provided near its inner end with an enlarged portion or shoulder, M, while its bore is contracted at the inner end at N, and provided witln an annular groove, O, between the internal screw-thread and the contracted portion, for the reception of a lubricant, the said reduced portion fitting around the inner portion of the reduced portion of the axle. A sleeve, I, having an internal screw-thread, Q., for a portion of its length, fits with that screwthread upon the externally-threaded portion of the sleeve fitting upon the threaded portion of the axle, while the smooth portion of its bore fits around the smooth portion of the shoulder or enlarged portion ofthe sleeve iitting upon the hollow axle, and the end It of the bore of the outer coupling-sleeve is` contracted and tits around the reduced portion of the said sleeve, the said coupling-sleeve thus connecting the solid axle and the hollow axle, and allowing the two axle portions to turn independently. In this manner it will be seen that the wheel upon the solid axle and that axle may turn in one direction, while the wheel upon the hollow axle and that axle may turn in another direction, thus enabling the car mounted upon these axles to turn very short curves without the friction between the rails and the wheels caused wher rigid axles are used.

Having thus described our invention, we

.claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States The combination of the solid axle 4having a threaded central portion anda reduced half, the hollow axle fitting upon the reduced portion of the -axle and having its inner end screw-threaded, the sleeve fitting upon the threaded portion of the solid axle having the internal annular groove near its inner end, and having the enlarged externally-threaded portion, the sleeve iitting upon the threaded end of the hollow axle having the enlarged portion or shoulder, the-internal annular.

groove, land the reduced or contmoted innei` end of its bore, andthe ooupling-sleevohaving the internally-threaded po1tion the smooth internal portionffand the contracted end of its bore', as and fol the pnrpose shown and set foi-th.

In testimony that 'Wo claim the foregoing Has our own We have hereunto ztixed oni' signatures in presence of twoA Witnesses.

' LYSTONVD. HOWE.. GEORGE M. GREEN. Witnesses:

A. S. JACKSON, H.. N. RYoN. E 

